September 28, 2009
British farming group sees UK 2009 wheat output at 13.9 million tonnes on-year
UK 2009 wheat production is expected at 13.9 million tonnes, down 3.4 million tonnes on the year, the National Farmers' Union said Friday (September 25).
The fall is due to lower yields and plantings, said the NFU.
Winter barley production is estimated at 2.5 million tonnes, down 300,000 tonnes on the year, while spring barley output is seen at 3.8 million tonnes, up 440,000 tonnes on the year, said the NFU.
"With a difficult autumn planting in 2008 after one of the wettest summers on record, a very dry spring and delays to ripening and harvest by yet more abnormal summer rains in 2009, crops bounced back to a large extent, and farmers overcame a challenging season," said Ian Backhouse, NFU's combinable crops chairman.
